Your festival essentials packing checklist for 2023

GCI’s Freestyle Rocker is sturdy and supportive but provides a soothing swaying motion. Sitting up higher than most camping furniture, the chair delivers a classic, cozy living-room feel and features outdoor-ready shocks that endured our durability drop test beautifully. The sturdy steel frame supports padded armrests, a back with a breathable mesh panel, and a cup holder for added comfort. The 4-pound, steel-construction REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag like the other chairs. After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help.

The right chairs can make or break a camping trip — no one wants to go into a s’mores-induced sugar coma while squirming in a flimsy foldable. And if you’re lugging all your gear on a backpacking journey, a portable seat you can properly rest on is even more crucial. Knowing which brands and models to trust is the first step to creating your own outdoor oasis. The Coleman camping chair is big and durable, and of all the upright chairs that our panel of campers tested, it was the most comfortable.

You don’t always find comfortable over-sized chairs, and this chair works for everyone in my family. And after regularly using the chair for six months (and leaving it out in the rain on occasion), it’s still in great condition. With extra features come several extra pounds, making the King Kong one of the heaviest single-person models we tested.

After several months of testing, the steel frames and 600-denier nylon fabric construction of the King Kong (rated to 800 pounds!) and the Kelty Loveseat didn’t show any wear or tear. And while their high denier fabric is not as ozark trail canopy breathable as the mesh that some of the other chairs have, it is more durable than most. Since both of these chairs were very popular with our testers, they sustained several ember burns from being around so many campfires.

Once locked closed, it’s easy to hoist it up and head out without carrying an additional storage bag. We’ve bought and tested 34 unique camping chairs in the last 10 years to bring you the best 15 models available today in this review. Our ozark trail screen house team of lounging experts and relaxation enthusiasts spent months rigorously testing each model side-by-side. Comfort scores weighed the heaviest in our assessments, but we also considered other factors like packability and ease of use.

The carry bag is thoughtfully designed and features not one but two straps, allowing for options depending on how far you need to carry. Unfortunately, this chair is large and weighs 13.3 pounds, and the price tag is a bit shocking. However, our testers are certain you won’t be disappointed in this investment if you want to purchase something for the long haul.

This top-rated reusable water bottle was praised by our tester for being “utterly leakproof” with double-wall vacuum insulation keeping drinks cold for up to 28 hours. “We also liked the fact the twist-off lid is attached to the bottle, so there’s no ozark trail screen house chance of losing it while drinking,” our tester added. If you struggle to get any shut-eye at festivals, make sure to pack some ear plugs for sleeping. Proving you don’t have to spend a fortune on good buds, these EarHub plugs impressed our tester.

Here we break down their performances by metric to get down to the specifics of each model. To help you prepare to root on your favorite team, we’re rounding up all of the tailgating essentials you’ll need to eat, drink and celebrate. Think everything from comfortable folding chairs, folding tables and pop-up tents to cooking and serving necessities like meat thermometers and paper plates. Overwhelmingly, the Coleman came out on top, with campers praising its comfort and stability. Ease of use encompasses how hard it is to set up and take down each chair and how well the features work to enhance (or not) the overall experience. After all, the odds of you wanting to take a chair with you anywhere are probably lower if it’s challenging to set up or the features are aggravating.